


DVD Extras: Call of the Stone

by fojee



Series: Call of the Stone [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Deleted Scenes, Meta, Missing Scenes, references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 06:50:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6505606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fojee/pseuds/fojee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Deleted and revised scenes featuring Ron and Hermione. And um, an author comment in the middle I kept in for authenticity's sake.</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. A partial list of references

I peppered the stories with some allusions, from tongue-in-cheek references to canon--the lightning bolt scar, Snape's feelings for Lily, Voldemort's origin story--to references to other fanfic from a lifetime of reading, as well as other original texts. 

The sword and wand duelling is from Josephine Darcy's "The Marriage Stone." The idea of Harry getting bitten by a vampire and almost turned is from Spinner's amazing "Blind as a Bat" series. Working with stone is reminiscent of "Hall of the Mountain Kings" by Tara Tory. (Notice what they all have in common: HP/SS. I've been pretty set in my ship of choice from the beginning, with HP/DM as secondary and only the occasional foray to the other pairings.)

My revisions of the original "Bound" had more to do with paving the way for the sequel. I also tried to differentiate between the Weasley twins. It always annoyed me that I cannot tell them apart and knew ahead of time in canon that one of them will die, because the effect is lessened since they're practically the same person. 

"Freed" is a completely different animal. The whole house-elf plotline came out of that title, with perhaps minor inspirations from fics that deal with the topic, especially the massive blackhole of a series called "Saving Connor" by Lightning on the Wave. (HP/DM) But there isn't a clear trajectory. I merely tried to answer some questions that the first story left me with. I also read JOdel's essays in preparation to writing this, which always has great insights.

I gave Daniel his own little story arc, which was inspired by an old sci fi book called "Virtual Zen" by Ray Nelson, in which a singer starts a band that focused on simple melodies, and yet as he continued to write music, complexity sneaks into his compositions. Plus I dropped hints as to how their unconventional relationship got started...

I also wanted to add some women to the mix so Hermione (and Ron) got added back, and I had a mostly behind the scenes Luna/Violet pairing. I have to admit the het pairing gave me the most trouble, because it took me a while to figure out a way for Ron to impress Hermione. Haha. His little chess-themed scene was of course inspired by the best Ron-centric fic ever "Midnight by the Weasley Watch" by excessivelyperky. The Great Uncle Merry that Ron mentions in a throw-away line is Gumerry from Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series, whose entire name is Merriman Lyon aka Merlin. I thought it appropriate for the Weasleys' Arthurian theme.

The place they get married at is an actual place. I was looking for parks in the area and found this particular garden instead, which I thought resulted in a better version.

As for the Luna/Violet thing, in my headcanon, it sort of developed when Luna approached the twins about her zines, and they passed her on to Violet. Later, Violet gets Hermione a job with Luna's dad, so things have been progressing by then. :) I think if I had the energy I would really love to elaborate more on those zines, being a zine-lover myself. But I just think of it as a lovely loose end, and another detail that strengthens the theme of the second story which is about alternatives to official or canonical histories, news, culture, etc. Marvolo's novels, Daniel's music, the house-elves' oral histories are all threads of that same rope.

I also have this entire backstory for Violet where reading Marvolo's book "Oblivion," one of the novellas being about squib children left obliviated in muggle orphanages, influenced her politics at an early age and gave her the strength to raise her own squib sister while she was still at Hogwarts. And the person who most helped her was Severus Snape. 

Having faux novels is a nod to my favourite HP (and any fandom he cares to join) writer Copperbadge, whose own OC Ellis Graveworthy is the inspiration for Author!Marvolo. The Riddle in the name is obviously dropped because he still hates his father.

I'm not much of a Sirius/Remus shipper. I don't know how subtle I was being, but Remus in this story has unrequited feelings for his old friend, who is straight. Who knows, though, what the future will bring these two. I completely disregarded Peter, though the idea of him looking after Harry with the house-elves even briefly is from a story called "Fidelius" by Ishtar. (I had to look it up; it's been awhile.) I figured the thing about Peter is he looks out for number one. (Like Lucius I guess.) Although I admit in my original plan, Peter was abroad with Remus and they came home together. (You can read this bit in the deleted scenes.)

There aren't a lot of goblin-centric fic but I did like their portrayal in a crossover fic with Supernatural called "Old Country" by astolat. I had a lot of last-minute additions, such as Newt and John Lothe the vampire--whose name is a reference to Don Juan and lotharios. And then of course, the character which saw the most change along the way is Master Arugba who started out as house-elf-like, then Flitwick-like, and ended up as a half-elf goblin. It's been quite a journey.

I think I can consider this my ode to this fandom in particular. It's probably going to be my last HP story ever. (Sorry wips in my hard drive.) But if you guys want to read more of my HP stuff, I still haven't moved my older stories from FFN which includes an HP/Discworld crossover I am particularly fond of called "Puir Wee Laddie Who Lived." Thanks for all your reviews and kudos!


	2. Twu Luv

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deleted and revised scenes featuring Ron and Hermione. And um, an author comment in the middle I kept in for authenticity's sake.

So he had a _brilliant_ idea. If only he could pull it off.

He swallowed down his trepidation and picked up the odd, clunky receiver and peered into the parchment where he had written a set of numbers. Then he pressed the numbers on the tellyphone and waited. 

"Hello," a woman said on the other end. 

Ron took a deep breath and almost choked. "Hi. Is this um, Hermione's mum?"

\---

Hermione bit her bottom lip. Small talk was the last thing she was in the mood for. "I'm okay, but..." She took a deep breath. "I was serious about what I wrote. I'm _not_ getting married to you just because I'm pregnant. It's an archaic tradition. I don't care what your mother says." She was just getting a head full of steam when Ron held up both hands.

"Mums live to nag their kids, but we don't have to do what she says." Ron's expression was solemn, and it looked odd on his face. Hermione realized he wasn't the boy she fell in love with. He was a man, and maybe a stranger.

Was she different in his eyes, too?

Hermione looked down at her hands. "I thought about whether I should keep it..." Ron's hand reached out to grip hers, but he didn't say a word. "And I do want this baby, Ron. And I'm glad I'm having it with you. I just don't feel ready for the responsibility."

"Even though you're the most responsible person I know?" Ron asked, his tone a little teasing. 

Hermione let out a choked laugh. That was the best thing about Ron. He always made her laugh. "I don't know yet what I'll do, but I'm going to raise this baby, and I'll find a job, or maybe look for an apprenticeship, too."

"I talked with your mum," Ron interrupted.

"You what?" Hermione's voice turned a tad shrill. She was _not_ happy with her parents' reactions to their only daughter getting pregnant just after graduation. She couldn't blame them, except that she did.

"She read me the riot act," Ron admitted sheepishly, rubbing his left ear. "And then she told me she was worried about you, because you stopped writing to her."

Hermione lifted her chin. "What does this have to do with what we're talking about?"

"I asked her for advice." Ron blushed. "I asked her a lot of things. I don't know that much about muggles, and I don't know what you wanted to do. I thought she might have an idea."

Hermione looked away. "It's been ages since I could talk to them. They don't get the whole magic thing. They think I can just stuff it under a rug and live like a muggle again."

"Yes. She asked as much questions as she answered," Ron said. "She said you're welcome to come back home, no matter what you decide to do."

Hermione met his eyes again. Her heart felt too big in her chest. "I'm not sure that's the right choice for me."

"Maybe not, but I wish we could decide together. I know you're having the baby, but she's mine, too. And I'm going to be a part of her life no matter what."

"She?" Hermione asked in horror. "How could you know that already?"

He looked confused. "There's this spell, see..."

"Ron Weasley, you will not cast any spell on me without my express permission. Is that clear?" Hermione crossed her arms above her mostly flat stomach. 

Ron raised his hands in surrender. "Alright. Anyway, it's not fool-proof. Mum thought I was a girl up until the last second."

She giggled in spite of herself. 

Ron continued. "Anyway, I was just saying that we have options. We can stay at your place, or at the Burrow. And George said there's room at the Love Nest, too. If you want to study, I can look after the baby, or maybe we could alternate if I find some work."

Hermione couldn't help it. She cupped his face between her hands and pulled him into a short kiss. His lips were cold from the ice cream. He turned bright red. 

"What was that for?"

"For you being yourself," she said. 

Ron grabbed her hand in his and took out a box from his pocket. "I know you don't want to do this just because. But I do love you, you know. I can't even imagine spending the rest of my life with someone else. Even if the baby hadn't come, I was planning to ask you anyway. So Hermione Granger, will you do me the honour of marrying me?" 

He opened the box. Inside was a muggle engagement ring, the tiny diamond winking against the dull gold setting. Wizards didn't have such a tradition so he must have gotten the notion from her mum.

That thought, coupled with the naked uncertainty on Ron's face, helped her decide. Her eyes filled with tears. Dratted hormones. "Yes," she choked out. "I love you too. So yes."

Ron's whole demeanour transformed as he broke out into a wide grin. He stood up, and pulled her into a hug. She pressed her face onto his shoulder. He smelled just as amazing as always, like vanilla and musk. And he was warm and strong and steady. 

This place within the circle of his arms, Hermione suddenly found it most resembled the feeling she always associated with home. 

(THIS IS GIVING ME SO MUCH TROUBLE DAMMIT)

The ceremony was the result of compromise after compromise. 

Hermione Granger took Ron back home for dinner with her parents. _I'm an adult._ She had to remind herself constantly, while enduring her mother and father's advice--well-meaning though a tad heavy-handed. 

She kept her head, and by the end of it, her mother softened enough to offer her the use of her old wedding dress. Hermione frowned down at the beads and sequins on the bodice, and it will have to be let out a little. _Good thing I learned some alteration spells for the balls at Hogwarts._

"It'll do," she said out loud, then managed a smile at her mother. "Thank you, mum. I really do appreciate it."

"Are you inviting us for the wedding?" Her mother asked almost timidly. 

It was so uncharacteristic of her that Hermione wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Of course, mum. I'm only doing this once, you know." She smiled at Ron, who smiled back.

So she had to talk to Molly about possible muggle-friendly locations. The original plan was for both the ceremony and reception to be held at the Burrow. But there were parks in __ that could be rented out by 'hippy-dippies' who wanted to get married surrounded by nature. She would have to put up special wards so nobody could do magic and scare her parents to death. (But George was on her side already. Hopefully, he could convince Fred not to do anything too disruptive.) 

The reception could be held in the same place. Molly had been planning to borrow some tents--the ones that were bigger inside than out--and that particular spell would be interesting to her parents, but not necessarily overwhelming. There would be less guests. (Ron's family tree was a bit over-grown.) And the food would be provided by a restaurant that she had fallen in love with. It was near Violet's flat and had spectacular dishes. (The kind her baby was craving twenty-four seven.) 

\---

He could hear the chatter of the guests who had arrived early. Just a few meters away, however, he felt the wards like a shiver down his back. He closed his eyes, locating the carved stones by feel. Hermione had always been great at Runes. 

He knew what they were for--magic prevention for the muggle guests, probably--but he was a little tempted to test them anyway. He picked up a pebble by instinct, then slipped it in his right pocket. Then he slowly changed the stone, carving a rune deep into it for prosperity, and then transforming the outside so that it crystallized and became opaque, a cross between a piece of jade and an opal. The wards didn't so much as twinge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I revised this because I felt like I portrayed Hermione as too easily won over. Hahaha. So I tried to make Ron earn her respect and trust and love back... And make it less nauseatingly sappy and more sexy.
> 
> As for the wedding, I had to find an actual location and I guess there's a dearth of garden wedding venues in London.


	3. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deleted scene which features Peter. I saved it because it has more of Draco and Neville.

Remus Lupin stumbled out into the unwelcoming gloom of 12 Grimmauld Place. A shadow unfolded from a corner and revealed itself as Sirius Black, smirk in place. "Welcome home, Moony, Wormtail." He nodded at the smaller man who had followed Remus out of the fire. 

Peter Pettigrew looked odd in his Hawaiian shirt. He had refused to dress for British weather. The hula girls dancing on his shirt had made Remus dizzy, and had caught the attention of every guard at the Central Floo station. It had been pretty effective as a distraction from the fact that he accompanied a werewolf into London.

Remus ignored the lacklustre greeting, and the aloof body language, and grabbed Sirius in a hug that easily swept him off his feet. He laughed at the other man's squeak of outrage.

"Put me down, Moony!" 

"Or what?" Remus teased, while Peter ignored them both and started fiddling with their trunks.

"Stupefy!" He heard from the doorway, and felt the spell hit his shoulder. It barely fazed him, though he automatically let go of Sirius and reached for his wand. 

Peter got there first, dealing out two neat Expelliarmuses to the two boys who had shown up. The one that had cast the first spell was a thin blonde, still growing into his limbs, while the other one had a more stocky frame. 

Sirius raised both hands. "Boys, do refrain from cursing my guests. Peter, their wands, please?"

Peter twirled the two wands in his left hand. "How about some introductions first?"

Remus bit back a smile at the expressions of dismay the young men were wearing.

Sirius did the honours, introducing his young cousin Draco, and Neville Longbottom as apprentices. They both bowed, though Draco's expression was sullen, and Neville's mortified.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to let you influence actual children?" Peter asked in mock-horror even as he handed back the wands to their owners.

"It just happened," Sirius replied dryly. "Blame Headmaster Snape. He gave me a beautifully worded double-edged compliment about my teaching ability and put some terrible ideas in my head." 

"That's still a laugh, isn't it? Snape as headmaster?" Peter snorted. "Bet he takes millions of points off of Gryffindor." 

Draco smirked and Neville bit his lip, torn between apologizing and defending their headmaster. Sirius offered them seats and sent out the young men for refreshments. 

Remus continued where Peter left off. "I would have expected McGonagall, myself." 

"Nah. That'd be a disaster," Peter interjected. "We ran circles around her in our time. Imagine if she was in charge of the whole school. Hogwarts might explode."

Remus nodded thoughtfully. "She was always strict, but she wasn't very hands-on wasn't she?" 

"All bark and bluster," Sirius drawled out. "But never mind that. The question, Moony, is whether you really are taking the post for DADA."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Remus straightened the cuffs of his robes. "And Dumbledore can be quite persuasive."

"Severus won't be happy about it," Sirius murmured.

Peter raised both eyebrows at that. "Since when did that git become 'Severus'?"

Remus patted Peter's arm. "Your letters these past few months have become terribly vague, Padfoot."

The door opened then and Draco and Neville entered with trays of sandwiches and tea. Sirius nodded at them. "Get back to your drills. Then you have the rest of the day off," he said before dismissing them.

Draco looked like he wanted to protest, but Sirius glared until he obeyed. Neville followed like a shadow.

Sirius sighed, pouring himself a cup of tea before speaking. "It's to do with Harry."

Peter leaned forward at that and Remus felt his ears prick, which was a sufficiently animalistic reaction that he pretended it didn't happen and set his own cup gently on the table. They both knew which Harry Sirius was speaking of, even if it had been almost a taboo name in this house for the last decade or so.

"There was a professor at Hogwarts who turned out to be a vampire..."

\---

On the other side of the door, Draco was standing and trying his best to eavesdrop, but Neville's disapproving glare had him sullenly following the other boy back to the practice rooms, where their swords were stored. 

"Who were they, do you know?" Neville asked him when they had done their stretches. 

"Old school friends, I think," Draco answered, before adding, "Gryffindors, the lot of them."

"Ah. The other man, though, he didn't even flinch at your spell." Neville had only had enough time to notice that he had an ordinary face with some unusual scars on it. 

"Werewolf," Draco said. "My father told me all about it. Apparently, Dumbledore sneaked one into Hogwarts, but it almost killed another student, and he covered it up. It got out later, but the werewolf had already graduated. It's why Dumbledore got forced into early retirement, though since he is who he is, they gave him enough time to train his replacement."

Neville nodded thoughtfully. "Mum has been writing me about Wagtail's campaign. You shouldn't call him an it though. That's rude."

Draco snorted. "Sure. He seems like a nice fellow. It's not his fault he turns into a slavering beast every full moon. It's not his fault he can crush you with one hand, can smell what you've eaten last night, and can turn you into a monster just like him with one bite. Wagtail may have had some laws changed. But it doesn't erase the fact that they're dangerous."

"So are you with a wand or a sword," Neville retorted. "And every other wizard especially to a muggle. Doesn't mean we should be treated like we're criminals."

Draco rolled his eyes. It was a common enough occurrence these days, him and Longbottom arguing. The topic could be quidditch, or school rivalries, or which pastry was better. It was terribly easy to wind the other boy up. Usually Sirius just left them to it. Draco thought of it as debate practice. But today he was feeling a little embarrassed at being bested so easily, and so wanted to forget. So he grabbed a sword from the rack and threw it at Neville, who was quick enough to catch it, though he fumbled and almost dropped it for a second. 

"Drills, Longbottom. As our master commands," he growled out, picking his own sword, his body falling into the first position with easy grace.

Neville glared at him, but his hand tightened on the sword, and he stepped into the stance. 

The clang of the metal drowned out Draco's thoughts. He found himself smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously I had to discard this when I decided to get rid of Peter completely. Haha. But it feels like an AU of an AU...


	4. Excuses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene set sometime after Bound featuring an overdue conversation between Sirius Black and Harry Potter.

"I did have my reasons, no matter how cruel they seem to you," Sirius spoke.

Harry fought the impulse to cross his arms. "May I hear them?" He asked as mildly as he could.

Sirius sighed. "When a witch dies in childbirth, while the baby itself survives, the ordeal leaves some... effects. The child is either extremely strong magically, or almost a squib. I thought it would be cruel to raise you in the wizarding world if you turned out to be the latter. And in case of the former, then you would have at least known your aunt. I knew of her, you see. I knew she would refuse to see you once the magic manifested itself. She did the same to Lily."

Harry swallowed painfully at this. "Maybe she regretted that," he said almost in a whisper. 

"Yes, maybe she did. I did not expect her to have kept in touch with you. I'm glad, for that means she has learned to love you, in her own way."

Harry bit his lip before venturing out a question again. "And my letters? Why did you not answer them?"

"Ah," Sirius said, leaning back on his armchair and looking a little embarrassed. "It sounds like an excuse, but the truth of it was that I didn't get them at all. At that time, I had just moved back home, where a prejudiced house-elf had taken it upon himself to screen all my muggle mail. By the time I had discovered it, you had already written your last letter."

"And then you sent me my key instead of replying." 

Sirius covered his eyes with both hands for a second. "By then, I was so used to not making the effort. I make no excuses for that, Harry. But you have to understand, your father was more than my friend, he was my anchor, my moral compass. I would have followed him anywhere. When he chose the path that he did, it felt like the worst kind of betrayal. I didn't cope well." His eyes were focused on a distant point as he recalled that dark time. "I pushed everyone away. I got this close to getting fired for recklessness. It just felt easier not to care."

"And then Severus dragged you into this whole mess with Quirrell. I cannot imagine how he managed to convince you," Harry said, voice gentling almost without his consent.

"Slytherin bastard," Sirius muttered with an almost fond smirk. "Maybe the fact that he had done it at all. He tries very hard not to ever breathe the same air as I. But he pushed aside his own hatred for your sake, and that intrigued me. Also, I was worried after throwing away all my other chances, that this was the last one I'd get."

"Why does Severus hate you?"

Sirius turned away from the naked curiosity in Harry's face. "Ask him," he answered hoarsely. "He will give you truth, while all I have are excuses." 

Harry stood then, and Sirius expected the fire to flare green and the young man to leave, but instead he felt a hand on his shoulder, tentative and brief. "James Potter abandoned us both," Harry said. "You merely refused to replace him. For what it's worth, I did not regret my childhood, imperfect as it was. And when it mattered most, you were there. Thank you for that."

Long after Harry had left, Sirius remained on that spot, feeling that hand like a ghost's touch. "He's turned out so well, James," he whispered. "No thanks to the both of us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't really fit this anywhere and completely forgot about it. Haha.


	5. One Step Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene set after the concert in the epilogue of Freed. Father and son and the future of music.

"You should prepare for next year," Carolus Cantatio spoke abruptly. "I'll open up a spot in the concert."

The music was still ringing in Daniel's ears, thrumming through his bones. He sighed, towelling off the sweat in his hair, and shrugging off his formal suit in favour of his usual jeans and band shirt. 

He wanted to leave; Fred and George were surely waiting for him. But he had to survive this conversation first.

"I'm not going back," he said baldly, eyes meeting his father's for a second, before looking away. "In our world, stagnation is death. But that's what I felt at the Conservatoire. Slow suffocation." He touched the case of his violin almost reverently. "I think we need a difference space for experimentation. I have a friend looking into designing another venue. The younger students will benefit, too."

The answering silence felt oppressive, until his father inclined his head. "I suppose love of music should be cultivated in the next generation."

It was a concession that he had never expected to receive from the older man. It gave Daniel the courage to ask, "What did you think?" Of the concert, he didn't need to add, of _his_ composition, about which he felt like a mother offering up her newborn child. 

Carolus gave his son a rare smile, though it felt awkward on his craggy face. 

"It was a revelation."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found this in note-form on my phone yesterday, but I wanted to end the epilogue with Harry and Severus so I figured this was the place for it. That's all folks! Thanks for reading!


End file.
